


a family man

by lebensmuede



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: HPFT, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Fluff, Romance, idk man i was just feeling some type of way, james is a big softie, james is father material, lily is in love with james
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23897641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lebensmuede/pseuds/lebensmuede
Summary: in which lily evans realizes that james potter would make an excellent father(fluff with no plot tbh)
Relationships: James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, James/Lily, Jily - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 70





	a family man

Children and boyfriends have never been something that Lily Evans has ever devoted time to thinking about. Would she have a spouse when she was older and, presumably, wiser? Likely. But it was never something that she devoted extra time to.

And yet she finds herself thinking about children an unusual amount near the end of her last year at Hogwarts, freshly turned eighteen. She isn’t sure when she starts thinking about children except for the fact that her boyfriend James Potter finds himself entertaining small children more often than the average person.

She cares for James deeply, perhaps she even loves him, although she doesn't quite realize that that's what she feels for him. Does she think they'll get married, perhaps not, they're still children after all. But for now, her future contains James and only James and she doesn't see him going anywhere.

The first time she remembers that children are a thing that people make and have is when the Weasley's ask them to babysit their sons one weekend near the end of May. James gives an enthusiastic yes and Lily doesn't mind helping him out, especially considering how adorable Molly and Arthur's little boys are. They've met them at enough Order meetings that they all refer to Lily and James as Aunt and Uncle.

Lily is keeping an eye on George (or is it Fred?) while he takes a nap in his little bed while James has Fred (or maybe it's George) in his arms and he dances around the Weasley's small house. Lily hears the off-key singing of James somewhere in the distance and can't stop herself from smiling, especially when the baby's tinkling laughter follows. His voice grows louder and louder until James finally enters the room and Lily watches him make silly faces at the tiny baby in his arms. Eyes widening and squinting, mouth opening and closing comically as James sways the baby back and forth. For a second she forgets where she is and whose children they're watching and imagines that it's their baby that James is holding and it is their room that he is dancing around. His hands look almost impossibly big holding the tiny human life form, as if nothing more precious or valuable has ever existed. 

Lily feels as if something is expanding in her chest, a warmth spreading through her along with something that feels almost like content. Maybe it's the baby in his arms, or the disarray of James's hair, or the way his glasses sit crookedly on the end of his nose, or maybe the fire is just getting too much for her but Lily never wants the moment to end.

"Something wrong, Lils?" James asks her, grinning from where he stands, still swaying his hips as if he's dancing.

"Nothing, just... thinking," she replies mysteriously and smiles back at him. The moment is ruined when a wet squelching sound comes from the baby in James's arms.

"Let's go change your diaper, shall we little man," James coos at the baby. "Quite the shitter ain't he Lils?"

And Lily has to stop herself from snorting too loudly lest she wake up the twin.

The second time that she remembers is when James and her are invited to accompany the Potter's to a distant relatives’ 50th wedding anniversary. James has absolutely no recollection of who any of these so-called relatives are, but they agree to go. The party includes a lot more people than either of them expected, and a lot more children than they thought.

Somehow James ends up as the leader of this gaggle of children. They're all competing for his attention, trying their best to impress him. Lily doesn't notice he's been whisked away by the children for at least half an hour when she realizes she's been carrying on a conversation with people she's never met before and can't remember the last time she saw James in the room. 

She remembers excusing herself and wandering around calling out his name, receiving no answer in return until she finds them. James has fallen asleep on a couch, glasses lopsided on the bridge of his nose, mouth open, and seven children surrounding him. One of them has squeezed in under his left side in between James's side and the arm of the couch, two more are snuggled under his other arm, one has laid themselves out across his lap, and the remaining three have all fallen asleep sitting upright on the ground leaning against James's long legs.

And all Lily can do is stand there and blink. These children, who she's fairly certain James has never seen before this party, have all laid claim to him as if they have known him their whole young little lives. And Lily is struck by the sudden image of James and their children like this, and the familiar warm feeling she had when they watched the Weasley's kids spreads through her again. 

She backs out of the room quietly and goes back to the party and when Mrs. Potter asks her where James is, Lily tells her he's with the children. She can't stop the warmth and adoration from creeping into her voice and onto her face. Euphemia has a knowing look on her face but purses her lips and says nothing.

It happens when James is staying over at her house and is trying to figure out how to cook eggs in the morning without his glasses on. It happens when James goes out of his way to irritate Petunia and throws his arm across her shoulders and squeezes her into his side. Petunia, for all her hatred and bitterness of the Wizarding World, has a difficult time hating James, and Lily knows because she can see how hard her sister fights to remain angry around him.

Lily can't help but soften inside when Petunia and Vernon briefly break up once he finds out about Lily and James is in Petunia's room comforting her. She's peeking around the corner and she can't help but eavesdrop on the two of them.

(She can, but as all good sisters, she won’t.)

"Hey Tunie, how are you feeling?" James asks quietly, perched on the edge of Petunia's bed.

"Go away, this is all your fault," Petunia snaps, her voice nasally and congested as she gives a loud sniff.

"Come on now, tell me what's happened," James insists quietly, and Lily doesn't think he even realizes that he's stroking Petunia's hair. There's a prolonged moment of silence, and then,

"Vernon broke up with me," Petunia says in a heartbroken voice. "Because I finally told him Lily was a witch."

"Oh Petunia, I'm so sorry," James says. "Is there anything I can do to make it better?"

"You can get out and never come back and take my sister with you, both of you, and your magic, ruin everything for me, none of this would be happening to me if it wasn't for you two," Petunia all but wails and Lily can't help but flinch at the accusation. James persists however and refuses to get angry or leave the room.

"I know you don't mean that, you pretend to be all mean and cold but I can see right through you, I know how much you love Lily," James says as he rubs Petunia's back. "I know how much you miss her when she's not here, it's all over your face and if we left, you'd be devastated. Worse than now."

Petunia sniffs and lets out a childish, "No, I wouldn’t."

"Besides, Vernon was terrible, would you really want to be with someone who wouldn't love your sister the way you and I do," James says and Lily's heart picks up the pace at that admission because James still hasn't said it to her even though he shows it with everything he does.

Petunia crawls onto her knees, Lily can see the corner of a red eye as Petunia sniffs again, looks down at her lap, and then throws her arms around James in a tight hug. "I guess you're right," she mutters into James's shoulder.

"That's our girl, now how about I make you some tea, hm?" Petunia gives a nod and James extricates himself from her arms and leaves the room. Lily beats him to the kitchen, and that's where James finds her waiting for him.

"Hello darling," James says and drops a kiss on Lily's forehead as he putters around the kitchen preparing tea. All Lily can see is this same scene but in their own house where James has just finished comforting their own child and she can't stop a besotted grin from spreading across her face as she watches him.

Lily goes up to him and wraps her arms around him from behind and rests her head on his broad back. "James, I love you," she mumbles.

He laces his fingers with hers and without missing a beat says, "And I love you, my love."

Lily's not sure if it's the youth and inexperience in her talking, but there is something about the softness and warmness of James Potter that makes him feel like home to her. She can't see a future with any man who is not him. She can't imagine having children with anyone who is not him. She can barely contain the giddy excitement of a small child who is half of her and half of James.

But she can't convey this through words. At least not yet. She doesn't want to seem foolish for thinking these things. And she has not found an appropriate way to tell James, "Let's make babies together." 

Although a younger James probably would've been delighted to hear such a proclamation.

So she lets James make his tea and go back to her sister and waits for another chance.

It's when the neighbours ask Lily to watch their newborn while they go out for dinner that she finally gets the chance. Lily isn't sure why, but the baby immediately takes to her when his parents drop him off. The boy is absolutely fascinated with Lily's hair and her face and won't stop giggling at her the entire time he's in her arms.

Lily isn't sure what she's doing, but she's delighted at the reaction it's getting her and can't stop staring at the baby with a silly grin on her face. She forgets where she is and with whom she is for the briefest of moments. It’s when the baby yawns and nestles into her chest and closes his eyes that she finally manages to look away. She feels as if she will burst, her chest can't contain her heart.

She looks up and sees James watching her; he looks almost dazed at the sight before him. He blinks and gives his head a minute shake before looking down at Lily with a softness and warmness that makes her melt. It's one of James's special looks, the rare ones that show just how much he truly adores Lily. He comes over and sits next to her, one arm around her shoulder and looks down at the baby sleeping contently in her arms.

"You've got a talent with children, Lils," James whispers to her.

"Well, I have the best to learn from," Lily whispers back, eyes twinkling. "I'm glad at least one of us is a natural with children."

"Why's that?" James asks.

"It'll make things easier when we have our own, won't it?" Lily replies nonchalantly. And there is silence. And more silence. And still more silence. It goes on for so long it makes Lily nervous. Maybe she misread James, and he wasn't thinking like she was. Perhaps he hadn't thought that far ahead, and she'd scared him. But when she turns to look at James, he is absolutely starstruck.

He's staring at her as if she has just announced that Christmas is early and Lily has given him the stars as a gift. 

"Do you really think about us having children?" James asks finally.

"Of course, who else would I have them with?"

He kisses her sweetly in response and the two of them sit, their foreheads resting against each other, the sleeping baby between them, quiet.

"Lily."

"Yes, James."

"No takesies-backsies."

**Author's Note:**

> i've been reading a lot of fluff for the past few days and i needed to let it all out so here i am with some jily. i wrote this in 2 nights so here it is hopefully y'all enjoy it


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